They say it’s not where you’re from it’s where you’re at. They also say you can’t go home again. But for Aleali May they’re one in the same. One of the most original girls taking street fashion digital, her unique sense of style has garnered not only the attention of the Internet but also the street. If this all sounds a bit confusing, it shouldn’t. The youth have always found new ways to express themselves and Aleali is no exception. From the front rows of fashion shows to the style guides on her namesake AlealiMay.com, this new breed of creative is riding some giant waves.We took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles with the young beauty for a better look into her routine. Always on the move, Aleali exemplifies what it means to be forward in a city that is traditionally known for its laid backness…

Where are you from?I was born in LA, went to high school in Colorado because my dad was in the army, lived in Chicago for my college years, and now back home. Traveling to me is everything! Learning about other cultures, traditions, history, and people is amazing. Travel channel is how I started seeing the world before actually traveling. And now I’m blessed to see the same places I once watched on screen.

Why did you come back to Los Angeles?Chicago was an amazing city to be in! But way too cold for me. To add, I just felt like coming home would be the best decision for my career. But I had to leave in order to appreciate my city and gained a whole lot of experience in the meantime.

It feels like Los Angeles is having a real moment right now in food, fashion, art and overall culture. Do you have any insight into that?Los Angeles is definitely having its shine right now. Especially in fashion, runway shows taking place with major fashion houses is so new to the land. I love that people are starting to see the hidden values. I’m excited to see what it will be like in 5 years.A lot of people are buzzing about the new “youth wave,” and putting you in that category. Could you explain the importance of young people changing the landscape of culture and the prevalence of online community?We must invest in the youth in order to create a better tomorrow. And that’s in fashion, in education, in all aspects of life. Even when we expand online, that’s spreading our culture, that’s investing in the youth just by existing. As Dzogchen Ponlop says, “Who we are is shaped by our culture, and who we are is what changes it.”

In the past so many cultural and counter-cultural movements started or blossomed in New York City from hip-hop to street art. Do you feel that is still the case or has the Internet changed the importance of geographical location?Everything goes in waves, LA then NY then back to LA and then NY again. I believe It’s a part of the natural cycle of waves (lol!).As a young creative do you think geographical location is as important as it used to be with the power of social media and the Internet?Living in a bigger city always guaranteed a bigger network, but social media and the Internet are changing that perspective everyday. Everyday the Internet grows, and you can shine light on anyone with the touch of a button, “post.”

Do you feel a sense of support as a young creative in the Los Angeles community: Fairfax, Silver Lake or downtown arts district?No doubt! Love the community, the community loves back!American kids used to hang at record stores, concerts, and skate parks. It seems now they are hanging out a lot more in line-ups to buy gear. Do you have any insight into how American kids have taken on a more Japanese approach to lifestyle, fashion, and young hustle?Prices of so many hyped items are high. I respect young kids learning the hustle. I think it’s not only Japanese and American culture but everywhere. People see the demand for a product and they either think about buying it for themselves or flipping it. Both ways are profitable, just depends on the person.

How do you incorporate your environment into your style?I like to wear staples of the city. For example, I’ll post Vans for my California natives or Jordan’s for the time I lived in Chicago and gained a bigger understanding of the shoes. Wherever I am, I stay open to the culture and incorporate that in my style.You’re creating a lot of original content on the regular. Can you talk a bit about what it means to be a content creator in 2015 with the Internet and social media. Does any of this make sense to your parents?My parents never understood any of this, but they accept what I’m doing. Everyday of creating content is a new day of learning about the Internet, social media, and life in 2015. Create what you feel and show others by executing that idea through the work, as it’s always been.How do you balance your job (paying gigs) with creating personal material that presents your unique perspective and means something to you?That’s easy, only work on things you truly have a heart for. Focus on passion and the money follows.

Where would you like to see your personal brand going in the next few years?Hmmm, farther and stronger than where it is today.Do you find it hard to maintain a healthy active lifestyle in Los Angeles or is it easier because of the weather?It’s definitely easier because of the weather. Less days cooped up inside, and more days to enjoy being outside.

Tell us about your day to day regime?“No two days are alike, except for the 1st and 15th, pretty much.” – Jay Z

What are your favorite ways to stay healthy and active in Los Angeles?Taking walks around the neighborhood, practicing breathing, and doing some stretches inside or outside.

What are some of the places you go to maintain a healthy lifestyle in Los Angeles?Yoga Studio, Runyon Canyon, and the beach.How many times a week do you sweat?At least 2-3.

Where’s your favorite place to sweat?Outdoors.What kind of music do you sweat to?Trap music: I love Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Future, Chief Keef, the list goes on… And never leaving out Jay Z.

Has coming from Los Angeles and living there effected the way you dress?I think wherever you live has a say on how you dress. Before I moved to Chicago I wore lots of color. When I was preparing to come back to LA, my wardrobe was mostly black. I think wherever you live you naturally gain the city’s lifestyle and certain traits of it. LA is nice, warm, fun which leads to colors. Chicago is brick cold which leads to darker tones, adding more grunge and edge. Although I still rock Vans and Chuck Taylor’s in any city.

Allen Park

You have such a unique personal style, the way you blend streetwear, activewear, and high fashion. Could you talk a bit about that?It’s never forced for me. I grew up looking up to Pharrell, Nigo, Kanye, Yoon from Ambush, M.I.A and many alike. But I also grew up in South Central, LA, where Jordan’s weren’t something that Hypebeast fan over, Jordan had every hood in every city on lock. At the same time, being a girl and wanting to have an immaculate closet of clothes was always a dream, heels included lol! This is just a mix of how I started, where I’m from, who I’m influenced by but who I’m evolving to.

What are your favorite things to do on your days off?Meditation, hang with friends, museums and trying out new foods.What’s your advice for young people wanting to break into the fashion industry and follow in your footsteps?You have much more to work with as far as social platforms and you should definitely take advantage of that! Stay hungry and be willing to learn.

Any tips or tricks you’ve learned to incorporate being healthy and active into your busy lifestyle?It’s all a mind game for me. A habit you have to practice in order to break. I have to remind myself that I am what I eat.

They say everyone should live in New York City once. The birthplace of the most culturally important movements of our generation, the amount of creators that have walked, painted, skated, pounded and run its streets is both daunting and impressive. But the island can be a crowded lonely place. New York City is a test for most… Not easily passed. Magnetic, electric, alluring, and merciless. What was once a creative’s playground is ever-evolving and changing with the times. The OGs reminisce about the old New York. The new generation wonder what they missed. Hence the cycle that is culture and inevitably life. But nostalgia is for yesterday. The youth will always rise up and find a way to break through.

With the explosion of the digital age, the Internet and social media being the most prevalent tool in youth culture history, we took a stroll through the city streets with one of New York City’s newest personalities, Emily Oberg to get a taste of the new New York as well as sweat some style.

Emily Oberg represents the new generation of Sweat The Style girls that think and live just a little different than New York newbies of the past. More into lunar soles than stiletto heels and rising early for a sweat than chasing the night away. Getting a green juice at Summers, plant shopping at Sprout Home, and checking out some furniture at Two Jakes; the Canadian spoke with us about how she stays healthy and active in one of the busiest cities in the world. While overcoming new challenges of being new to the new New York and what it takes to shine in the brightest city in the world.

Where were you born?Calgary.

Where did you live before you moved to New York City?Vancouver for about 2 years.

Why did you move to New York City?I got a job offer and I always wanted to live here, so it worked out perfectly.

Once you arrived was it what you imagined it to be?No it wasn’t, I was actually quite lonely and sad when I first got here. I guess because I had just left everything I know. New York was so unfamiliar in a lot of ways, but I had dreamt of it forever so I was also overjoyed to be here. People were not as nice as I imagined them to be, and the city was huge. It was overwhelming but I enjoyed it all and I never second guessed coming here.

Was it difficult to get acclimated?It took me some time to find my way around, even still I get lost sometimes! New York is huge, and I’m often alone so I can’t rely on someone else to know where I’m going. People in Canada are so nice and it’s so the opposite here, which is why I’ve reinforced the idea of “Being Nice is Cool” so much. I never want to lose that niceness about myself. The lifestyle is also very different, always on the go and always something to do or be done. But I try to lay low and I enjoy staying home, I should really explore more though!

What are the differences in the mystique and the reality of living in New York City day to day?People probably think it’s glamorous and you’re always going somewhere fancy but it’s not like that, not my life at least. It’s a lot of working and a lot of commuting. It’s also really hard to meet people, unless you can offer someone something they really don’t care to have anything to do with you.

As a young creative professional do you think being in New York City is as important as it once was now that the Internet and social media have become so dominant?I don’t think so because it’s so easy to be connected because of technology. But, it can only go so far. There are some things you just need to be in New York for. It depends on what job you want really, everything will always be in New York and it will always be the centre of the world and the centre of fashion/music/art. There are other places to explore but you must come here at some point during your life. If you want to get into any of those worlds. Make your connections, establish yourself here, and then move on.

Do you feel a sense of support as a young creative in the New York City community?My very close friends support me and I get a ton of support from people online who don’t even know me. But the majority of everyone else doesn’t really support each other. People are so selfish and insecure that they aren’t happy for each other’s success. They don’t understand that the world is so big there is room for everyone. Because they are so small and narrow minded, they are so self-involved and they think the world revolves around them and no one else can have a piece. Competition is healthy but we all need to support each other. It’s sad and it sucks, but people like that will only go so far. So you have to make peace with that and only deal with the people who are truly down for you.

In the past so many cultural and counter-cultural movements started or blossomed in New York City from hip-hop to street art. Do you feel that is still the case or has the Internet changed the importance of geographical location?I feel like New York is no longer the centre for that, and that other parts of the world are becoming much more interesting. Maybe it’s because I live here… but I just think that New York has gotten so big it’s pushed all of the super talented people out and they’ve found a home somewhere else. Europe is really having a moment, so is LA. New York has become so overexposed that the real, interesting art isn’t here anymore.

Do you find it hard to maintain a healthy active lifestyle in one of the busiest cities in the world?At first it was hard, but I’ve learned how to. Things are so convenient in New York. A healthy meal is so easy to find, and you’re constantly walking so you’re getting some form of excercise everyday. Also, there are gyms everywhere and great places to run, so living here makes it fun to be active.

Tell us about your daily regime?I get up at about 6:45 and leave my house by 7 to make a 7:30 morning class. I take different classes to mix it up, but they all focus on cardio, strength endurance and toning. After that, I’ll go to the steam room and shower and get ready, I love getting ready at Equinox it’s so luxe haha. Then, I’ll go to our cafeteria at work and get egg whites with toast or sweet potatoes and a side of peanut butter for some protein. I’ll get to work around 9:30 and check the internet for any music or style news, I’ll see if a new album or tape dropped and then I’ll listen to that all day. I’ll write my first story and tape it, do a second and then I’ll get lunch with friends. Chopt is usually the place I go to everyday. I’ll come back and work on another story and shoot it, then I’m done with News videos. If I have time, I’ll work on other projects and then I’ll go to the gym again, I usually do a cycling class in the evening because mornings focus on muscle training. I’ll go home and make a salad and then go to bed.

What are some of your favorite spots to maintain a healthy lifestyle in New York City?Equinox and Soul Cycle 4-5 days a week twice a day. I love Juice Generation. I also love Chopt for the salads and Sweet Green! Easy, quick and healthy meals that you never get sick of eating.

What kind of music do you sweat to?I like rap or house music. Sometimes R&B but it has to be really up tempo.

What are your favorite places to dine when you have a bit more time?Cafe Mogador, it’s so simple and healthy, I take everyone from out of town there. I also love Samurai Mama for udon and sushi. Mr Chow is great luxe Chinese food. And I also love Diner for their burger.

What are your favorite places to shop?I don’t shop much. I have a few of the same pieces of things that I love and I just rotate those. But I do love Maryam Nasir Zadeh, Creatures of Comfort, Aritzia, Modells for basics, Stella Dallas for vintage Levis, and Dover Street Market of course!

How would you describe your personal style?Sporty & Rich! A mix between athletic wear and luxury. I love minimalism, and I love solid colors. Phoebe Philo (Celine’s creative director) is my biggest style muse, she nails it every time. Lady-like with a nice pair of trousers or a dress shirt, while also keeping it young with sneakers or a high pony tail.

Has New York City affected the way you dress?Definitely, I am much more laid back. My style has also become more athletic than it was because you need to be comfortable here or your day is just ruined. You walk around so much, the weather changes constantly, so being comfy is a must. I also work so much that I’m not able to take a lot of time to get dressed, so having a solid uniform makes getting dressed easier.

What are your favorite things to do on your days off?I love to just stay home and stay in bed all day long. I work, but I do it leisurely and I take breaks in between. I’ll listen to music really loudly all day long, and the light is so nice in my room that I don’t even want to go outside. I start my day by going to get a juice or something healthy to eat, and then I’ll get some work done, I always have a lot of side projects going, so weekends are for that. Since it’s gotten warmer, I have been riding on my friend’s motorcycle which is one of my favorite things to do! I’ll go for dinner with friends to somewhere in my neighborhood and I’ll go home and go to bed early when everyone else goes out, I really don’t enjoy being out and I never have a fear of missing out so, I just don’t ever go!

What’s your advice for young girls moving to New York City for school or work that aspire to follow in your footsteps?I would say just figure out what you’re good at and what you have a talent for, and go hard with that. Also, since social media is so important and a big part of how I got to where I am, try to develop a presence on it. Be selective and careful of how you choose to showcase yourself but also be expressive and show people what your aesthetic and taste is. They’ll gravitate toward you because of it.

Alexandra Gavillet

Any tips or tricks you’ve learned to incorporate being healthy and active into your busy lifestyle?Going to the gym early, because sometimes your days are so busy and you get exhausted or something comes up and you might not be able to go later on. So to get it over with is the best thing to do. Also, eating small meals throughout the day and snacking so you don’t over indulge when you do have time to have a meal. I would also say doing a juice cleanse every few months just to reset your system and get some vitamins into your body quickly. Plus they make your skin look amazing almost instantly. I would also say that it helps to prioritize your health before anything else. It’s hard, but it needs to come before your work and before your social life. That takes practice, but once you have it down, it just becomes habit and a part of who you are.

This workout can be done on any neighborhood street. Start with a warm up jog around the block.
Do 30 seconds of as many high knees as you can, then jog slowly to the next corner while catching your breath. Do another 30 second set of intense high knees.
Repeat 8 times.
Finish off with either a 1 minute plank or 50 bench crunches.

#HoKnows It takes more than sunscreen to stay protected from UV rays. Sun exposure is as harmful for the eyes as it is for the skin.

Up to 10% of all skin cancers are found on the eyelid. These UV rays also cause cataracts in eyes which often lead to vision problems. Get a pair of stylish glasses and avoid potential problems while looking good doing it.